The Winchester Police Department is currently accepting applications for police officer positions until March 20th. We do not currently have any positions available, but we will be creating an eligibility list that will be held for six months. Selected candidates will be notified, via e-mail, of their invitation to participate in the physical and written testing to be held on April 3rd.

A Winchester grand jury indicted Nija Johnson, 18, of Winchester Tuesday on a second-degree murder charge. Johnson is charged in the death of her 6-month-old daughter Natalia Johnson. On January 20th around 1:30 p.m. officers responded to the 600 block of Sherlock Trace in reference to a baby in cardiac arrest. The infant was taken to Winchester Medical Center and was then flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital where she later died on January 23rd.

Nija Johnson

An investigation revealed Nija Johnson caused the death of Natalia. The investigation is ongoing and the details of the case will be released during court proceedings.

Nija Johnson was arrested just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday in the first block of Raleigh Court following the direct indictment. She was taken to the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center.

The Winchester Police Department is investigating a burglary that occurred at Olde Towne Realty located in the 1800 block of Valley Avenue. On Monday officers responded to the business around 9 a.m. for a reported burglary and forced entry. Sometime between Friday, February 20th around 5 p.m. and Monday morning someone had broken into the business and taken an undisclosed amount of money.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked call the Crime Solvers HOTLINE at 540-665-TIPS. Individuals who are able to provide information that leads to an arrest in this case could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

The Winchester Police Department wants to educate the public on the importance of keeping designated emergency routes clear of vehicles during heavy snow storms. When snow plan B is in effect no one is permitted to park or leave a vehicle on any snow emergency route. Vehicles in violation will be towed at the owner’s expense. The streets that are designated as snow emergency routes have been determined to be the major traffic arteries, which need to be kept open at all times. The City has recently placed new signs along these routes to keep the public informed. The snow emergency routes are cleared first by the Public Works Department and having these streets cleared of parked vehicles helps crews do a more thorough job of clearing the roadway. The following streets have been designated as snow emergency routes:

Winchester Police arrested a wanted person Tuesday morning after a tip called in to the Crime Solvers HOTLINE identified the man’s location. Isaac Henry Burns, Jr., 27, of Winchester was taken into custody around 10:30 a.m. in the 2500 block of Wilson Boulevard. Burns was served with warrants out of Winchester for show cause summons and two counts of capias. He was also served with warrants out of Staunton and Fairfax County.

Isaac Henry Burns, Jr.

Burns was taken to the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center.

The Winchester/Frederick/Clarke Crime Solvers is a non-profit organization that provides a 24 hour confidential hotline where callers can anonymously call in tips on crimes or wanted subjects. The Crime Solvers HOTLINE number is 540-665-TIPS.

The Winchester Police Department is taking a proactive approach to improve relationships with minorities in our community. The police department is opening up a dialogue about the current law enforcement climate. Winchester City Councilman John Hill and Winchester NAACP Chapter President Gwen Walker are addressing officers about how minorities may feel when they are being pulled over by a police officer. The presentation includes a brief history of racial segregation and the feelings that may still exist among African Americans following these historical events. Members of the media are invited to attend the presentation of John Hill and Gwen Walker on Wednesday, February 18th at 7 a.m. in the Debbie Bock Training Room at the Timbrook Public Safety Center.

Police Chief Kevin Sanzenbacher is also leading a group that is planning activities for our local youth. The first event, which included a DJ from Shenandoah University’s Black Student Union, games, pizza, dancing, and door prizes, was held Friday night at the Boys & Girls Club. About 30 local youth, primarily from the North End of the city, attended the event which was free to Handley High School Students ages 14 to 18. The students had the opportunity to interact with police officers who were not in uniform. This was the first of many events that will be planned to improve the relationships among police officers and area youth.

The Winchester Police Department is welcoming local residents to use the lobby or front parking lot of the Timbrook Public Safety Center as a place to complete in-person Craigslist sales. The police department wants to give people a safe and secure option when completing these transactions. On Monday the police department received a report of counterfeit money being passed in exchange for a gaming system sold on Craigslist. The victim met the suspect in the 500 block of South Cameron Street to complete the transaction. The male suspect gave the victim six $50 bills that were counterfeit and all had the same serial numbers. The suspect is described as a black male, around 18 to 19 years-old and was wearing a black hoodie and red beanie.

Anyone with information on a suspect in this case is asked call the Crime Solvers HOTLINE at 540-665-TIPS. Individuals who are able to provide information that leads to an arrest in this case could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

The Winchester Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a wanted person. Isaac Henry Burns, Jr., 27, of Winchester is wanted for eluding police, capias, and probation violation in Winchester. He is also wanted out of Staunton, Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland.

Isaac Henry Burns, Jr.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Isaac Burns is asked call the Crime Solvers HOTLINE at 540-665-TIPS. Individuals who are able to provide information that leads to an arrest in this case could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

During the 2nd Annual Senior Spring Festival hosted by the Winchester/Frederick County TRIAD, local seniors will be educated on our area’s heroin epidemic and what they can do to help combat the problem. Research shows prescription drug abuse often leads to heroin abuse and the prescriptions that are abused are many times stolen from a loved one. One of the seven presentations during the TRIAD Spring Festival will be on proper medication disposal. Seniors will be encouraged to lock up their prescriptions in a medication lock box, and to dispose of their unused and expired medications in a collection unit.

The Senior Festival will be held on Friday, April 10 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Braddock Street United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. TRIAD is a partnership between the local sheriff’s offices, police department, seniors and senior service providers in the community who work together to reduce criminal victimization of the elderly. The local Seniors and Law Enforcement Together Council (S.A.L.T. Council) includes representatives from the Winchester Police Department, Winchester City Sheriff’s Office, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, more than a dozen senior service providers, and local seniors.

The festival will include vendors, free breakfast and lunch, and speakers on the following topics:

The Winchester Police Department is encouraging local businesses to take extra precautions to avoid accepting counterfeit money. On three different occasions counterfeit $20 bills have been used to pay for purchases at the Wendy’s on Berryville Avenue. The first incident happened on January 23rd around 6:30 p.m., the second exchange was on January 24th at 2 p.m. and the third purchase happened on January 29th around 3:30 p.m. A suspect in one of the incidents is described as a white male, around 30 to 40 years of age, about 5’ 5” tall, with short blonde hair, no facial hair, and he was wearing a blue Columbia brand jacket and blue jeans. The male was seen driving a white SUV.

Winchester Police hope local businesses will use a counterfeit-detection pen and UV light to ensure the bills they are receiving are not counterfeit. It’s often not enough to only look for the security features in the currency. The public should also become more familiar with U.S. currency. The United States Secret Service offers more information by visiting http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml.

Anyone with information on these incidents is asked call the Crime Solvers HOTLINE at 540-665-TIPS. Individuals who are able to provide information that leads to an arrest in the case could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

A Message from the Chief of Police

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